Newsline - May 24, 1999

As predicted, Russian
President Boris Yeltsin signed decrees on 21 May reappointing
Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, Justice Minister Pavel
Krasheninnikov, Defense Minister Igor Sergeev, and
Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20
May 1999). In an interview with NTV on 23 May, Prime Minister
Sergei Stepashin revealed that Finance Minister Mikhail
Zadornov and Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matvienko would
also retain their positions, and he confirmed that First
Deputy Prime Minister Yurii Maslyukov and Deputy Prime
Minister Gennadii Kulik are definitely leaving the cabinet.
Two days earlier, Stepashin had offered Kulik's post to
Belgorod Governor Yevgenii Savchenko, who turned down the
offer, citing the complex situation in his region, Interfax
reported. "Segodnya" reported on 22 May that acting Tax
Minister Georgii Boos will lose his post, despite having
elicited the strong support of Stepashin and Unified Energy
Systems head Anatolii Chubais. According to the daily,
Aleksandr Pochinok, a former State Tax Service head, will
likely assume the position. JAC

NEW INTERIOR MINISTER NAMED...

Also on 21 May, President
Yeltsin named Vladimir Rushailo interior minister. Before
that appointment, Rushailo was a deputy interior minister.
"Kommersant-Daily" reported on 22 May that business magnate
Boris Berezovskii and Federation Council Chairman Yegor
Stroev actively supported Rushailo's candidacy. However,
Interfax, citing "well-informed Moscow sources," reported the
previous day that rumors about Rushailo's close links with
Berezovskii are "very far from the truth." Rushailo, a long-
serving police officer, headed the Interior Ministry's unit
battling organized crime and oversaw the investigation into
some of the country's most important cases, such as the
kidnapping of top officials in Chechnya and the murder of
State Duma deputy Galina Starovoitova, Reuters reported. JAC

...AS NEW FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER ASKED TO EXPLAIN PAST
DEALINGS

Nikolai Aksenenko continues to be the subject of
controversy. Duma deputies are demanding that Aksenenko
respond personally to allegations of corruption in his former
capacity as head of the Railways Ministry at a plenary
meeting on 4 June, "The Moscow Times" reported on 22 May.
According to the newspaper, relatives of ministry officials--
including Aksenenko--reportedly hold key posts in companies
that have or had dealings with the ministry. In addition,
accusations of siphoning off money intended for ministry
coffers are being levied against Transrail, a Swiss-based
company set up by the ministry to act as liaison between the
ministry and its foreign clients. JAC

CHERNOMYRDIN SUSPENDS KOSOVA PEACE TALKS

Russia's special
envoy to Yugoslavia Viktor Chernomyrdin called off talks with
Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou and UN special envoy
Carl Bildt on 22 May, citing time constraints, the
"Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" reported. Both Papandreou
and Bildt had arrived the previous day in Moscow and met
later with Foreign Minister Ivanov and U.S. Deputy Secretary
of State Strobe Talbott. They did not disclose details of
those meetings, but Bildt told AP that the Kosova conflict
marks "a major failure of the international community."
Ivanov told CNN that NATO increased the intensity of its
bombing campaign on 20 May, when Chernomyrdin was visiting
Belgrade. The foreign minister suggested that NATO is "trying
to undermine the negotiations." The previous day, Ivanov told
AP that the key remaining differences between Russia and NATO
are over the composition of a peace-keeping force and NATO's
insistence on the complete withdrawal of Serbian troops from
Kosova. FS

RUSSIA BLASTS NATO'S SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HUMANITARIAN
MISSIONS

The Russian Foreign Ministry on 22 May issued a
statement charging NATO officials with "cynicism" for asking
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to notify the
alliance in advance about the movements of humanitarian
convoys within Yugoslavia. The statement said that NATO is
trying to "avoid responsibility for its increasingly frequent
mistakes in delivering air strikes," AP reported. The
statement called for an end to the air campaign. The previous
day, the Russian Foreign Ministry had issued a statement
saying that NATO planes have frequently dropped unused bombs
in the Adriatic before returning to their bases, thereby
posing a threat to navigation and fishing there, ITAR-TASS
reported. FS

YELTSIN ORDERS ARMY TO REVIEW INTELLIGENCE GATHERING

President Yeltsin ordered leading military officials from the
Strategic Rocket Forces to draw up a report on how NATO has
used satellites to collect military intelligence in
Yugoslavia, AP reported. The forces' deputy head, Valerii
Grin, said on 22 May that Yeltsin also asked the army to
consider improving Russia's space-based intelligence-
gathering abilities. Earlier, Yeltsin ordered the Defense
Ministry to review Russia's entire military doctrine (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 17 May 1999). Meanwhile, a State Duma
commission issued a memorandum on 21 May saying that
"Russia's policy in the Balkans should be reviewed [and
should involve] broader and more active economic, political,
military, and propaganda measures" as part of a "long-term
strategy." It did not elaborate on what measures should be
taken. FS

REAL WAGES SHRINKING

Real disposable income in Russia sank
27.3 percent and real per capita wages fell 39.01 percent in
the first four months of 1999, compared with the same period
last year, according to the State Statistics Committee,
Interfax reported on 21 May. On a month-to-month basis,
however, real incomes are slowly edging up, gaining 5.2
percent in April over March and 4.7 percent in March compared
with February (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 May 1999).
Meanwhile, agricultural output slid 4.7 percent in January-
April 1999, compared with the same period the previous year,
while retail trade dipped 15.01 percent. JAC

NEW ELECTION LAW MOVES FORWARD

The Duma on 21 May approved
in the second reading a new election law that would give
those who run for the parliament in December 1999 the right
to run simultaneously on the list of the election bloc with
which they are affiliated and in single-mandate districts,
Interfax reported. The vote was 354 in favor, four against,
and one abstention. Under the current election law,
candidates who occupy the top three places of the party's
federal list cannot run in single-mandate districts,
according to the agency. JAC

LARGE NUMBERS OF PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS FACING EXTINCTION?

In
an interview with "Nezavisimaya gazeta" on 21 May, Justice
Minister Krasheninnikov warned that up to 75,000 public
organizations will be dissolved on 1 July if they have not
re-registered with the Justice Ministry. According to
Krasheninnikov, only 25 percent of Russia's more than 100,000
organizations have so far bothered to re-register. After 1
July, those organizations without valid registration will no
longer be able to participate in elections or own property or
bank accounts. On 20 May, "The Moscow Times" reported that
the city of Moscow's justice department turned down re-
registration requests by the Glasnost Foundation, Moscow's
Research Center for Human Rights, and the Ecology and Human
Rights group. Moscow justice department officials say that
Glasnost Foundation made mistakes in preparing its
registration documents and needs to only resubmit them.
Foundation officials, however, accused the Justice Ministry
of wanting to get rid of human rights organizations. JAC

NEW INFORMATION OFFICER NAMED

Prime Minister Stepashin on 24
May named Aleksandr Mikhailov chief of the government
information department, ITAR-TASS reported. Mikhailov was
formerly chief of the Interior Ministry's public relations
center. JAC

ATTITUDE OF GOVERNORS' PARTIES TOWARD ONE ANOTHER STILL
UNCLEAR

Members of Vsya Rossiya held their first constituent
congress in St. Petersburg on 22 May. According to ITAR-TASS,
more than 500 delegates from 82 regions and some 500 guests,
including Otechestvo leader Yurii Luzhkov and Golos Rossii
chairman Konstantin Titov, attended. Vsya Rossiya leader
Mintimer Shaimiev confirmed earlier announcements that his
movement will form an alliance with Otechestvo and that the
movement's key goal will be to secure at least 15 percent of
votes in parliamentary elections. "Izvestiya" reported on 22
May that the leaders of Vsya Rossiya have not yet decided
whether they want to ally themselves with Golos Rossii, whose
leadership earlier declared interest in such a partnership.
According to the newspaper, relations between Golos Rossii
and Otechestvo are frosty, and at that movement's constituent
congress, some Golos Rossii members declared their opposition
to Luzhkov. JAC

KIRIENKO TO RUN FOR MAYOR OF MOSCOW?

"Nezavisimaya gazeta"
reported on 21 May that members of the Golos Rossii movement
are considering backing the candidacy of former Prime
Minister Sergei Kirienko in mayoral elections in Moscow.
According to the daily, Kirienko's campaign might be
bankrolled by members of Moscow's business elite who no
longer support Moscow Mayor Luzhkov because "they never
received their promised niche in politics." On 24 May,
Kirienko told Russian Television that if Moscow mayoral
elections were held in December 1999 rather than spring 2000,
he would consider running for the post. Kirienko also
emphasized that his candidacy will be put forward by his
party, Novaya Sila (New Force). He added that Novaya Sila
should form a coalition with Pravoe Delo (Right Cause) in
order to surpass the 5 percent barrier for parliamentary
representation. JAC

RUSSIA PROPOSES CLOSER MILITARY COOPERATION WITHIN CIS

At
the 20 May CIS defense ministers' meeting in Yerevan, Moscow
proposed that the six CIS countries that intend to continue
their participation in the CIS Collective Security Treaty
should adopt a coalition military strategy, "Nezavisimaya
gazeta" reported the next day, without naming its source. The
adoption of "Fundamental Tenets of Coalition Strategy of
States Participating in the 1992 Collective Security Treaty,"
which summit participants reportedly support, would entail a
closer degree of defense cooperation than has been the case
until now. Such cooperation would be comparable to that
provided for by the Russia-Belarus Union, the newspaper
commented. Also discussed at the meeting was the possibility
of creating "coalition groups of forces...to resolve the task
of joint (collective) defense." LF

CHECHEN PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER INJURED IN ASSASSINATION BID

Danilbek Tamkaev received multiple gunshot wounds and his
brother Adam was killed when gunmen opened fire on their car
on the outskirts of Grozny on 23 May, Interfax reported. No
group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. LF

DISAGREEMENT OVER KARACHAEVO-CHERKESS ELECTION RESULTS
CONTINUES

The 14 members of the election commission of the
Republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia failed at a 21 May meeting
to arrive at a unanimous decision on the validity of the
results of the second round of voting on 16 May in the
presidential election, ITAR-TASS reported. Russian
presidential representative in the republic Ivan Golubev
therefore decided to send all the relevant documentation to
the Central Electoral Commission in Moscow. The chairman of
the local electoral commission, Musa Psikhomakhov, said on 22
May that 1,527 complaints of voting irregularities were
received. Meanwhile, Vladimir Semenov, who according to the
official results polled more than 75 percent of the vote,
accused his rival, Stanislav Derev, of failing to abide by an
agreement that the two men had reached in Moscow on 18 May
with then acting Premier Stepashin. According to that accord,
both were to refrain from actions that would exacerbate
tensions, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 22 May. LF

MORE ADYGEIS FROM KOSOVA ARRIVE IN NORTH CAUCASUS

A group of
53 ethnic Adygeis, whose ancestors were forcibly resettled
first to Ottoman Turkey and then to Kosova in the late 19th
century, arrived in Maikop on 23 May, Russian agencies
reported. A contingent of Adygeis evacuated earlier told "Die
Presse" on 17 May that they are being subjected to
discrimination in their ancestral homeland, that housing
built especially for them has been occupied by others, and
that they are unable to find work. They also expressed alarm
at being unable to make telephone contact with other Adygeis
who had remained in Kosova in the village of Donji Stanovci.
LF

U.S. ENVOY VISITS ARMENIA...

Stephen Sestanovich, who is
special adviser on the Newly Independent States to the U.S.
Secretary of State, met with leading Armenian officials in
Yerevan on 21 May to discuss the U.S.'s mediation role in the
Karabakh conflict, the prospects for Armenia's increased
participation in NATO's Partnership for Peace program,
greater military cooperation with the U.S., and the upcoming
parliamentary elections, Caucasus Press and RFE/RL's Yerevan
bureau reported. Sestanovich also met with Defense Ministry
officials to discuss U.S. proposals for control over the
transportation of raw materials that could be used for the
manufacture of nuclear weapons. LF

...AND AZERBAIJAN

The following day, Sestanovich held talks
in Baku with Prime Minister Artur Rasizade, Foreign Minister
Tofik Zulfugarov, and Defense Minister Safar Abiev, Russian
and Azerbaijani agencies reported. State Foreign Policy
Adviser Vafa Guluzade told Interfax that the issues discussed
included the Balkan crisis, the Karabakh conflict, bilateral
relations, and the ongoing dispute between Azerbaijan and
Turkmenistan over ownership of several offshore Caspian
oilfields. Sestanovich told journalists that the U.S.
supports both the mediation efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group
and further personal contacts between Armenian and
Azerbaijani leaders in order to resolve the Karabakh
conflict. LF

AZERBAIJAN HOSTS ECO FOREIGN MINISTERS

Meeting in Baku on
20-21 May, foreign ministers or their deputies from the nine
member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization
(Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan)
discussed expanding regional cooperation, in particular the
development of a network of export pipelines for oil and gas
and the implementation of the 1998 agreement on transit
cooperation, ITAR-TASS and AP-Blitz reported. Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Zulfugarov, who was elected rotating
chairman of the ECO foreign ministers' council, noted that
such cooperation would serve to promote political stability.
LF

GEORGIAN SECURITY OFFICIALS FORESTALL ATTACK ON PRESIDENT

Georgian Interior and Security Ministry officials arrested
eight people in Tbilisi during the night of 22 May on
suspicion of preparing a series of terrorist acts, including
an assassination attempt against President Eduard
Shevardnadze. Weapons, including machine guns and grenade
launchers, were seized. Georgian officials have so far
declined to comment on unconfirmed reports that the arrested
men were in possession posters of former Security Minister
Igor Giorgadze, who is wanted in connection with the 1995
attempt to assassinate Shevardnadze. Georgian Defense
Minister Davit Tevzadze confirmed on 24 May that senior
Defense Ministry official General Gudjar Kurashvili was among
those arrested. In his weekly radio broadcast, Shevardnadze
said on 24 May that the organizers of the thwarted
assassination attempt are abroad, in the first instance in
Moscow, according to Caucasus Press. LF

GEORGIA WANTS TWO RUSSIAN BASES CLOSED

Georgian Foreign
Minister Irakli Menagharishvili said in Tbilisi on 23 May
that it is unlikely that the treaty allowing Russia to
maintain military bases in Georgia will ever be ratified in
its present form, ITAR-TASS reported. He noted that the
treaty allows Russia to maintain in Georgia a larger number
of troops than is permitted under the 1990 Treaty on
Conventional Forces in Europe, adding that Tbilisi insists
that all signatory states comply with that treaty.
Menagharishvili said that it has not yet been decided which
Russian bases in Georgia should be closed. But Rezo Adamia,
chairman of the parliamentary Defense and Security Committee,
told journalists in Tbilisi on 21 May that Georgia will
demand the closure of the Gudauta and Vaziani bases. He noted
that the Russian base in the predominantly Armenian-populated
district of Akhaltsikhe provides employment for much of the
local population, according to Caucasus Press. LF

GEORGIAN WARLORD AMNESTIED

Former Defense Minister Tengiz
Kitovani was released from prison on 22 May under an amnesty
for 99 prisoners signed by President Shevardnadze the
previous day, Reuters and Caucasus Press reported. Kitovani
was sentenced to an eight-year prison sentence in 1996 for
allegedly attempting to launch an insurrection. He went on
hunger strike in February to demand a review of his case (see
"RFE/RL Caucasus Report," Vol. 2, No. 6, 10 February 1999).
Kitovani told journalists after his release that he intends
to return to active politics and run in this fall's
parliamentary elections. According to Interfax, Kitovani also
called for the release of fellow warlord Djaba Ioseliani, who
is suffering from bone tuberculosis. Ioseliani is serving an
11-year sentence for terrorism and attempting to assassinate
Shevardnadze in 1995. The Georgian Supreme Court recently
rejected Ioseliani's appeal for clemency (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 3 May 1999). LF

ABKHAZ PARLIAMENT WANTS OBSERVER STATUS IN RUSSIA-BELARUS
UNION

Parliamentary deputies of the unrecognized Republic of
Abkhazia voted on 21 May to request observer status for
Abkhazia within the Russia-Belarus Union, Caucasus Press
reported, citing Abkhaz television. They also addressed an
appeal to the Russian government to declare invalid the
results of the 16 May presidential runoff in the Republic of
Karachaevo-Cherkessia. The Abkhaz are ethnically close to the
Cherkess and Abazins, who constitute approximately 10 percent
of that republic's total population. Abkhaz President
Vladislav Ardzinba has called on the Karachaevo-Cherkessia
authorities to take measures to preserve stability, while
Ingush President Ruslan Aushev has called for legal action
against anyone who advocates a violent solution to the
standoff. LF

KAZAKHSTAN PLANS TO EXPORT MORE OIL VIA AZERBAIJAN

Attending
the ECO foreign ministers' meeting in Baku, Kazakhstan's
Foreign Minister Kazymzhomart Toqaev said his country hopes
to increase the amount of crude exported via Azerbaijan and
Georgia from 1 million tons to 5 million tons in 1999, and
possibly to 10 million tons annually, ITAR-TASS reported.
Toqaev said Kazakhstan may acquire its own oil tankers to
transport the oil across the Caspian, as the desired
construction of an underwater oil pipeline from Aktau to Baku
is problematic in the absence of a final agreement among
Caspian littoral states on the legal status of the sea. LF

KYRGYZ PARLIAMENTARY DEPUTY WANTS NEW COMPENSATION AGREEMENT

Speaking at a news conference in Bishkek on 21 May, Jypar
Jaksheev argued that the January 1999 agreement concluded by
the Kyrgyz government and the Kumtor Operating Company on
compensation for victims of the May 1998 ecological disaster
in Kyrgyzstan's Issyk-Kul region should be revoked, RFE/RL's
Bishkek bureau reported. Four people died and thousands
suffered from poisoning after a Kumtor-owned lorry spilled
toxic chemicals into a local river. Jeksheev accused the
Kyrgyz government and the Canadian company Cameco, which owns
Kumtor, of failing to pay the promised compensation. And he
hinted that he will take the case to international courts.
Under the January 1999 agreement, Cameco was to pay the
Kyrgyz government $4.6 million, of which $3 million was
earmarked as compensation for the victims of the spill. LF

KYRGYZ PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE DISCUSSES CURRENCY CRISIS

First
Deputy Prime Minister Boris Silaev, Finance Minister Marat
Sultanov, and acting Chairman of the National Bank Ulan
Sarbanov took part in a session of the parliamentary
committee on economic and budgetary issues on 21 May,
RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported. The participants expressed
concern that the som has lost 40 percent of its value over
the past two months, and they blamed the depreciation on
currency speculation by commercial banks. The current
exchange rate is 42 soms to the $1, compared with 17 soms in
July 1998 and 30 soms in early March 1999. LF

KAZAKHSTAN RESUMES GAS SUPPLIES TO KYRGYZSTAN

Northern
regions of Kyrgyzstan began receiving gas from Kazakhstan on
22 May after the Kyrgyz government paid the first
installment, worth $25,000, of its $2.2 million back debt to
Kazakhstan's Intergaz company, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau
reported. Intergaz cut off supplies to those regions last
week (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 May 1999). LF

LUKASHENKA WANTS TO WORK WITH CURRENT CABINET UNTIL 2001

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has said he will
not change his cabinet until the presidential elections in
2001, Belarusian Television reported on 21 May. Rumors about
a possible dismissal of the government have been rife
following Lukashenka's frequent criticism of the cabinet's
performance, in particular its inability to keep down
inflation, which neared 60 percent in the first four months
of this year. JM

BOMB EXPLODES IN COMMUNIST PARTY OFFICE IN CRIMEA

An
explosive device containing some 400 grams of TNT went off in
the Simferopol office of Leonid Hrach, leader of the Crimean
branch of the Communist Party of Ukraine, on 23 May. There
were no casualties. Hrach, who is also Crimean parliamentary
speaker, said on local television that the explosion was "an
act of political vandalism" by an unnamed "third force"
trying to provoke clashes between leftists and Crimean
Tatars. Hrach appealed to Tatars who have been picketing the
government building in Simferopol since 18 May "not to give
grounds [by carrying out that action] to those wishing to
undermine the situation in Crimea." Tatar Mejlis Deputy
Chairman Remzi Ablayev said Crimean Tatars have nothing to do
with the blast, ITAR-TASS reported. JM

KUCHMA SAYS UKRAINE'S PRESIDENTIAL POLLS WILL BRING NO
SURPRISE

Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, who is seeking
re-election in the 31 October polls, appears confident of his
victory, assuring foreign investors on 21 May that the
situation will remain "predictable" after the elections,
Reuters reported. "Ukraine's policy will remain balanced,
consecutive, and there will be no throwback," he said. The
same day, "Holos Ukrayiny" published Kuchma's 1998 income
declaration (the law on presidential elections stipulates
that all candidates must submit such information). According
to the declaration, Kuchma earned a total of 19,218 hryvni
($4,888 at the current exchange rate) last year. In other
news, Finance Minister Ihor Mityukov said Ukraine's foreign
debt grew by nearly $1 billion during the last four months to
total $12.4 billion. JM

ESTONIA SIGNS WTO ACCESSION PAPERS

Foreign Minister Toomas
Hendrik Ilves on 21 May signed the documents on Estonia's
accession to the WTO. The parliament must pass 16 legislative
acts by 31 October. Estonia's membership in the WTO will
become official 30 days after it informs the organization of
ratification of all relevant regulations, according to the
Foreign Ministry and local dailies. The opposition Rural
People's Party opposes ratification owing to provisions on
farming agreed upon during negotiations, according to
"Aripaev." Latvia became a member of the WTO last year. MH

LATVIA'S NEW PARTY NOMINATES PAULS FOR PRESIDENT

The New
Party on 22 May nominated party leader and popular composer
Raimonds Pauls as its candidate for president. While the
party had named Pauls as its presidential nominee before last
fall's parliamentary election, Pauls had hinted he was
reluctant to run in the presidential ballot. The election is
scheduled to take place next month. Incumbent President
Guntis Ulmanis is barred from running for a third term. MH

WILLIAMS APPROVES LITHUANIAN OIL DEAL

The board of directors
of the U.S. company Williams International on 20 May gave
final approval to the deal to invest in Mazeikiai Oil. A
statement issued by the company's Lithuanian subsidiary
reads: "The Williams board of directors voiced clear approval
of the transaction under the terms and conditions agreed upon
with the Lithuanian government in April." Under that
agreement, Williams will take a 33 percent share in Mazeikiai
Oil, which includes the Mazeikiai Oil Refinery, the Butinge
Oil Platform, and connecting pipelines. The parliament is
deliberating increasing Williams International's holdings by
another 33 percent after an initial seven-year period, ELTA
reported. MH

POLISH PEASANT LEADER CALLS FOR UNITY AMONG RURAL POPULATION

Jaroslaw Kalinowski, chairman of the Polish Peasant Party
(PSL), has called on rural residents to unite. According to
Kalinowski, the government ignores peasants' interests and is
ready to make any concessions in order to join the EU,
regardless of the damage inflicted on the economy. Kalinowski
said the PSL will soon present its candidate for the 2000
presidential elections. According to a May poll, the PSL has
11 percent support and is the fourth most popular party in
the country. The opposition Democratic Left Alliance has 35
percent backing, the coalition Solidarity Electoral Action 21
percent, and the Freedom Union 13 percent. JM

POLISH POLICE DISPERSE PROTESTING MINERS

Police on 24 May
used clubs to disperse some 400 miners who had been blocking
access to the Finance Ministry to demand increased government
subsidies to the coal sector, AP reported. Miners want higher
government spending on severance payments and on retraining
programs foreseen by the current restructuring plan. The
government has already paid 1.7 billion zlotys ($435 million)
to some 35,000 miners who lost their jobs or received
retraining, but another 18,000 must wait until funds from
next year's budget are available. Finance Minister Leszek
Balcerowicz on 23 May said that the restructuring plan has
fallen victim to manipulation by union leaders and mine
managers who allowed excessive payments for individual miners
in the hope of obtaining more money from the government. JM

CZECH REPUBLIC, GREECE SIGN KOSOVA PEACE INITIATIVE

Czech
Foreign Minister Jan Kavan and his Greek counterpart, George
Papandreou, have signed a peace initiative on resolving the
Kosova conflict, Czech media reported on 24 May. The
initiative, which was signed in Beijing, calls for a 48-hour
halt to the NATO bombing campaign in Yugoslavia as well as
the withdrawal of most, but not all, Yugoslav forces from
Kosova. Chinese Deputy Premier Qian Qichen expressed
"understanding" for the initiative, CTK reported on 22 May.
Meanwhile, Czech Chamber of Deputies Chairman Vaclav Klaus
told a Greek newspaper that the NATO campaign has failed and
that NATO is now simply trying to "save face," "Mlada fronta
Dnes" reported on 22 May. In other news, Czech President
Vaclav Havel's doctors said his bronchitis is slowly receding
but that he will remain in hospital for the time being. VG

MECIAR'S PARTY SAYS SLOVAK TV BROKE THE LAW...

The Movement
for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) has accused Slovak
Television (STV) of breaking the electoral law by failing to
arrange a debate between the HZDS's candidate for the
presidency, former Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar, and Kosice
Mayor Rudolf Schuster, Slovak media reported on 22 May.
Originally, the station and representatives of the two
politicians had agreed to hold two round-table discussions
involving both candidates and two STV moderators. After
Schuster refused to confront Meciar in a televised debate,
STV decided to have each candidate appear separately in a
round-table discussion with journalists. The HZDS claims the
decision to change the format of the round-table discussions
constitutes "manipulation" aimed at benefiting Schuster. VG

...FILES LAW SUIT AGAINST POLICE INVESTIGATOR

The HZDS has
filed a libel suit against the head of the Interior
Ministry's investigation department, General Jaroslav Ivor,
in connection with his statements implicating Meciar in the
1995 kidnapping of former President Michal Kovac's son, CTK
reported on 22 May. In an interview with "Mlada fronta Dnes"
published on 22 May, Meciar said Slovakia has turned into a
police state under the current coalition government. VG

FIRST U.S. F-18 FIGHTERS ARRIVE IN HUNGARY

Twenty-four U.S.
Marine F-18 air fighters arrived in Hungary on 22 May to take
part in the NATO bombing campaign in Yugoslavia The aircraft
will be based at the Tarasz military airport, which is also a
staging base for 500 U.S. troops of the UN's SFOR in Bosnia-
Herzegovina. Meanwhile, the non-parliamentary Workers' Party
has asked the Hungarian Constitutional Court to determine
whether Budapest's decision to allow NATO to use its airspace
and airfields is unconstitutional, according to a 22 May MTI
report cited by the BBC. VG

HUNGARIAN OFFICIALS DEFEND U.S. AMBASSADOR

Hungarian Foreign
Minister Janos Martonyi said U.S. Ambassador to Hungary Peter
Tufo has provided "invaluable assistance" to his government,
MTI reported on 21 May. Agriculture Minister Jozsef Torgyan
noted that Tufo has done a lot to promote Hungary's economic
prosperity. The comments came after Hungarian Prime Minister
Viktor Orban accepted the resignations of two deputy
ministers who had lobbied for the appointment of a new U.S.
ambassador to Hungary (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 May 1999).
Torgyan, who leads the Independent Smallholders Party, the
junior coalition partner, added that it is "inadmissible"
that Tufo was "exposed to attacks in Hungary." VG

MACEDONIA BACKS DOWN IN REFUGEE STANDOFF

Representatives of
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees persuaded Macedonian
authorities at Blace on 24 May to admit 3,000 ethnic
Albanians from Kosova who had spent the night in the rain at
the border. The UNHCR representatives also convinced the
Macedonian authorities to drop plans to send to Albania at
night-time at least three busses filled with Kosovars, AP
reported. One UNHCR aid worker said that this was the third
time recently that he went to the border "in the middle of
the night" to convince Macedonian officials not to deport
Kosovars. He did not elaborate. He stressed that any
deportation would constitute a violation of existing
agreements between the UNHCR and Macedonia. At least 15,000
refugees arrived at the Blace border crossing during the
weekend of 22-23 May. Observers noted that this was the
largest single wave of new arrivals in several weeks. On 24
May, Reuters reported that the UNHCR expects another 7,000
refugees to arrive in the course of the day. PM

FREED KOSOVAR REFUGEES ARRIVE IN ALBANIA 'EMACIATED'...

Two
groups of male Kosovar refugees whom Serbian authorities
recently freed from Smrekonica prison arrived in Albania over
the weekend. According to UNHCR officials, 523 men arrived in
Morina on 22 May and 506 the following day. Aid workers
described the men as being the most haggard and emaciated
they had seen, adding that many of them were traumatized.
Some of the men appeared to be teenagers, Reuters added. The
BBC reported on 24 May that many of the men believed they
were going to be killed until they saw the Albanian flag over
the border crossing. None was wearing Kosova Liberation Army
(UCK) uniform. A UNHCR official said in Tirana on 23 May that
Serbian forces abducted most of the men in mid-April when the
latter were fleeing Mitrovica with their families. It is
unclear why the Serbs freed the men. FS

...REPORTING ATROCITIES

The men reported that Serbian forces
had systematically beaten the prisoners' hands, lower
abdomen, and knees. They said that each day they spent in
captivity, between five and 20 fainted or were seriously
injured as a result of the beatings. On the basis of the
numbers on their registration cards, the men estimated that
the prison held between 2,000 and 3,000 inmates. Some said
they were forced to fight with one another using broomsticks,
Reuters reported. One man said that the Serbian forces
"treated us like animals. They beat us. They cut off some
men's ears." He added that the prisoners received no food
during the first four days and were given one piece of bread
a day thereafter. Some 450 were forced to live in a room
measuring some 144 square meters, in which they had space to
sit but not to lie down. FS

REFUGEES REFUSE TO MOVE FROM KUKES

NATO officials on 21 May
again urged the evacuation of the border town of Kukes,
saying they "do not want a humanitarian disaster where the
Serbs shell one of the refugee camps." The following day,
refugees in an Italian-run camp organized their first press
conference, stressing they do not want to move from Kukes,
Reuters reported. Spokesman Rrahim Imeri told journalists
that the dangers for refugees in northern Albania are not
higher than they are for the locals. He added that most
refugees are traumatized by their ordeal and that they want
to stay close to Kosova. Italian camp head Dominico Riccio
told Reuters that the conditions in the camp are good.
Meanwhile, more than 4,000 refugees from Kosova arrived in
Kukes over the weekend. Only 63 had arrived the previous
week, a UNHCR spokesman told dpa in Tirana. FS

THACI INVITES RUGOVA TO TIRANA

Provisional Kosovar Prime
Minister Hashim Thaci sent a letter to Kosovar leader Ibrahim
Rugova on 21 May inviting him to Tirana and asking him to
recognize the provisional government. Prime Minister Pandeli
Majko suggested setting up a National Security Council
composed of all Kosovar leaders who participated in the
Rambouillet talks, including Thaci, Rugova, and nationalist
writer Rexhep Qosja. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright sent a letter to Majko on 22 May saying: "I want to
welcome and encourage your efforts to bring the [Kosovar]
political leadership together, and in particular your concept
of a 'National Security Council'," Reuters reported. The
following day, Thaci, Majko, and Qosja visited a refugee camp
in Mullet near Tirana. FS

ANTI-WAR PROTESTS CONTINUE IN SERBIA

Police on 23 May
prevented a demonstration in Cacak, where a self-proclaimed
Citizens' Parliament recently issued a declaration against
Belgrade's policies in Kosova (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 May
1999). At least 5,000 people--primarily Yugoslav army
conscripts and their families--demonstrated in Krusevac on 23
May to demand that the army demobilize draftees and send them
home from Kosova, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported.
Reservists and civilians staged smaller protests in
Aleksandrovac, Raska, and Baljevac over the weekend,
Montenegrin Television noted. General Nebojsa Pavkovic, who
commands the Yugoslav Third Army, spoke to reservists'
families in Raska on 22 May. Two days later, "The
Independent" wrote that the Yugoslav army has not yet
formulated a clear policy on desertions by reservists. PM

DJUKANOVIC SAYS ARMY CARRYING OUT 'SILENT PUTSCH'

Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic said in Podgorica on 23
May that "it is evident that in the past 15 days the Yugoslav
army [stationed in Montenegro]...has placed itself in the
service of the Belgrade dictatorship" of Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 May 1999).
Djukanovic did not elaborate. He stressed that there will be
no peace in the Balkans as long as Milosevic remains in
power. And he argued that, in the past, the West should have
concentrated on promoting democracy in Serbia rather than on
negotiating with Milosevic. In Cetinje on 21 May, some 5,000
people staged Montenegro's first rally against the Yugoslav
army since the Kosova conflict began. The next day, Prime
Minister Filip Vujanovic demanded that the army withdraw from
Cetinje, which is the traditional political stronghold of
Montenegrins favoring independence from Serbia. PM

CLINTON ARGUES 'MILOSEVIC HAS FAILED'

President Bill Clinton
wrote in the "New York Times" of 23 May that "the problem [in
the Balkans] is not simply ethnic hatred or even ethnic
conflict.... The intolerable conditions that the region finds
itself in today are the result of a decade-long campaign by
Slobodan Milosevic to build a greater Serbia by singling out
whole peoples for destruction because of their ethnicity and
faith.... We cannot respond to such tragedies everywhere, but
when ethnic conflict turns into ethnic cleansing where we can
make a difference, we must try." Clinton stressed that
"Milosevic has failed...[in his] strategy to outlast [NATO]
by dividing the alliance.... Instead of disunity in Brussels,
there are growing signs of disaffection in Belgrade: Serbian
soldiers abandoning their posts, Serbian civilians protesting
[Milosevic's] policies." Clinton added that he will continue
pursuing NATO's present strategy but does "not rule out other
military options." PM

THACI URGES NATO TO CONTINUE BOMBING

Thaci said in Tirana on
23 May that NATO's attack on the UCK base at Kosare the
previous day was the result of a "technical error." He
stressed that the Atlantic alliance "must continue, even
intensify, the air strikes." Another UCK spokesman told "The
Guardian" of 24 May in Kukes that "Kosare was the result of
friendly fire. We have to accept losses in war.... We cannot
and must not lose faith in our friends." On 22 May, a NATO
air strike on a military complex at Istok killed 19 at a
prison there, including some UCK fighters. A NATO spokesman
in Brussels said that the prison was part of a "legitimate
military target" and suggested that Serbian forces had placed
the Kosovars there as human shields. PM

TUDJMAN FOR PARTITION OF KOSOVA?

Croatian President Franjo
Tudjman told the G-8 ambassadors to Croatia in Zagreb on 22
May that Serbian forces should withdraw to the northern part
of Kosova, where foreign troops, including units from Russia,
should also be stationed. Tudjman added that NATO troops
should go to southern Kosova to help refugees return to their
homes there. On 24 May, the independent daily "Novi List"
charged that Tudjman's proposal amounts to "a Yalta
agreement"--or partition--for Kosova. The remarks to the
ambassadors constituted Tudjman's first public statement on
the current conflict, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported.
Observers note that Tudjman has long favored a partition of
Bosnia between Serbia and Croatia. PM

ROMANIAN WORKERS STAGE GENERAL STRIKE

Thousands of Romanian
workers on 24 May stopped work in a 24-hour general strike
called by the country's four largest trade unions. Taking
part in the action were employees from numerous key sectors
of the economy, including industry, health, transportation,
mining, energy, navigation, agriculture, and the chemicals
industry. The unions threatened to stage an unlimited general
strike if the government does not meet their demands for
improved social welfare and lower taxes by 31 July, AP
reported. In other news, the Romanian government on 21 May
issued a decree to "prevent corporate insolvencies," dpa
cited Rompres as reporting on 21 May. The decree states that
all companies in the country must submit within 30 days
detailed financial statements about their debt situation to
the Industry Ministry, which will "balance" those debts. VG

ORTHODOX, CATHOLIC LEADERS RECEIVE STAR OF ROMANIA

Romanian
President Emil Constantinescu on 21 May awarded the Star of
Romania to Orthodox Patriarch Teoctist and Catholic Cardinal
Alexandru Todea, AP reported on 21 May. The awards come on
the heels of a visit to the country by Pope John Paul II (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 10 May 1999). VG

MOLDOVAN PRESIDENTIAL REFERENDUM INVALID?

Preliminary results
of Moldova's non-binding referendum on increasing
presidential powers suggest that the 23 May vote will be
declared invalid owing to low turnout. Presidential spokesman
Anatol Golea said early results indicated that turnout was
about 56 percent. In order to be valid, the referendum
required at least 60 percent of the electorate to
participate. Golea said President Petru Lucinschi will press
on with constitutional changes, despite the low turnout. On
23 May, Moldovans also voted in municipal and regional
elections across the country. The same day, Oleg Manturov, a
mayoral candidate from the Bloc of Communists, Agrarian
Democrats, and Socialists, was critically wounded by a gun
shot in the village of Kalarashovka, Infotag reported. VG

EC WANTS BULGARIAN NUCLEAR REACTORS CLOSED EARLY

The
European Commission on 21 May recommended that four Soviet-
made reactors at the Kozloduy plant in Bulgaria be closed
down earlier than planned to reduce the possibility of a
serious accident, an RFE/RL correspondent reported. That day,
Bulgarian officials met with commission representatives in
Sofia to discuss alternative energy sources for the country.
The Bulgarian government would like the reactors to run until
the end of their operational life: 2006 for two of the
reactors and 2010 for the other two. In other news, Bulgarian
Deputy Foreign Minister Marin Raikov on 23 May said Yugoslav
authorities refused to allow entry to two truckloads of
humanitarian assistance destined for the ethnic Bulgarian
minority in eastern Serbia, an RFE/RL correspondent reported.
Raikov said the Yugoslav side refused the aid because
Bulgaria insisted that its own officials distribute it. VG

CRISIS DEMONSTRATES ESTONIAN MILITARY'S WEAKNESS

by Mel Huang

Estonia's defense establishment has been shaken by
reports that the leader of one of its elite units was
allegedly involved in an armed robbery attempt that left
three people seriously wounded. While declining to accept the
resignation of Defense Forces commander Lieutenant-General
Johannes Kert, President Lennart Meri spoke for many when he
said that this incident has seriously harmed the reputation
of both the Defense Forces and Estonia itself.

Many in the Estonian capital appear worried that the
incident points to underlying problems in the defense
structure: weaknesses in internal military control, in
external civilian oversight, and in the pool of military
leaders. These revelations are potentially more damaging to
Estonia's efforts to promote itself as a candidate for NATO
membership than is low defense spending.

On 15 May, local news outlets reported that an armed
robbery attempt in Harju County had left three people
hospitalized following a shoot-out. Most dismissed this as
nothing more than a serious crime. But it rapidly transpired
that one of the alleged perpetrators of the crime, Indrek
Holm, is the acting head of the military police's Special
Operations Group (SOG).

On learning about the incident, Defense Minister Juri
Luik ordered that the SOG's activities be halted and a
special commission, under the chairmanship of Defense
Ministry Permanent Under-Secretary Tarmo Mand, be set up to
look into the matter. This commission is to answer three
questions: Who is in charge of the SOG? Where did the chain
of command break down? And what checks are in place to ensure
that those recruited into the SOG are reliable?

Once the investigation was launched, other problems were
quickly discovered by both the government and the press. Enn
Tarto, a member of the parliament's National Defense
Committee, commented that the highest parliamentary bodies
had little information about the SOG, its activities, or its
members: "Even the State Defense Committee itself does not
know who belongs there and [to whom] it is subordinated," he
said in an indication of the lack of vigilance on the part of
parliamentary oversight.

As these revelations surfaced, Kert submitted his
resignation to Meri, but the latter rejected it. The
president said that he was pleased that Kert understood "the
magnitude of the crime" and argued that the general should be
given "another chance." This is the second time Meri has
refused to accept Kert's resignation; the first was in 1997
following the death of 14 Estonian soldiers in a training
exercise in Kurkse.

An influential columnist for "Eesti Paevaleht," Hannes
Rumm, suggested that the reason Meri did not accept Kert's
resignation is that the military has a weak leadership pool:
"It is the good fortune of Johannes Kert and the misfortune
of the Estonian state that the schooling of well-educated
lieutenants to become a general takes years." Riigikogu
Defense Committee Deputy Chairman Trivimi Velliste concurred,
pointing out that "we don't have 20 generals in waiting."

However, Kert may no longer have the standing and
support to push through further military reforms, nor to
seriously explore the shortcomings the crisis exposed. In
short, Estonia finds itself in a vicious circle in which a
hike in defense spending may not be a panacea.